It's a Pity You Can't Stay
by FreedomLivesOn
Summary: - A small fic I wrote up, and unlike most, its UKxUS instead of the other way around. Rated T for chapters to come. -
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Sorry if anyone takes

offense to the Christian thing, I don't mean for it to be offensive.

Not all Christians are like Alfred's mum, and it's only

For the sake of the plot

(It feels like I'm using that excuse… "It's okay, I'm an artist". Hah.)

It had been three days since the glorious realization occurred. Now, it's not like it hadn't been sneaking up on him for years. He just never thought of it up until now. Those casual glances as he passed, a friendly wave to cover up what he was staring at.

It was inevitable. Alfred was in love.

There was no problem at all, aside from the fact that it was the wrong person he was in love with. Being raised in a strictly Christian home, being gay was considered a crime.

"_Mom, can I go outside and play with Francis and his friends?"_

"_No, honey. Stay inside for now."_

"_But why?"_

"_I don't want you around that Bonnefoy kid. He might have the wrong influences on you."_

That was when he was six. Alfred didn't understand what 'influences' his mother was speaking of yet, but he soon realized a few years later when Francis' flamboyant nature presented itself a bit more clearly. _His_ problem was, though, that Francis wasn't a bad guy. Yes, he may be loud and a bit too affectionate, but not a bad guy, nonetheless.

Well, Alfred didn't know what else to do, so he might as well just let it be for the time being.

There wasn't much he could do anyway.

Arthur despised walking down the halls. He despised the people walking down them, and the friendly greetings they threw about. The only greetings he ever got were a wave from that obnoxious American kid, or a slap on the arse from Francis.

He swore to the heavens above that if that pervert touched him one more time—

Oh well. Arthur had a way of making it abundantly clear when he didn't like someone. He supposed on one hand that was a good thing, since he didn't have to deal with many people he didn't like, but on the other, it was what got him outcasted amongst the student body. They saw him as the perpetually irked-by-everything, rude one who always sat in the back of the class. The teachers were alright with him, he turned in most of his papers and made no outright disturbances in class, but the constant look of either boredom, or extreme apathy caused general feelings of dislike.

His clothing didn't help much either. With the ever-black t-shirt, ragged black shoes, and an occasional hole worn in his trousers, it felt as if he was stuck part-way between the punk era, and modern-day society. He had often gotten remarks from those popular ones as to 'when he was going to start painting his nails black'. Arthur's usual sarcastic witty response shut them up for a good while, then one of them would think up something new. He was just another form of entertainment to them, curiously different, and with just enough mystery to spark interest. He may as well be a bloody stripper.

There were those, however, whom his outright hate didn't seem to affect. Francis and his posse being a few, simply because idiots like that were stronger in numbers, and Francis had enough prideful idiocy for all three of them. Then, there was the Obnoxious American. Arthur didn't know his name, and that title seemed to fit well enough. Despite his utmost effort to rid himself of the boisterous jock, the American kid seemed to cling to him anyway. It hadn't always been this way. Before, he was just another face in the packed hallways. But bit by bit, the American tried increasingly to attempt friendship. Arthur did not want this friendship, and usually brushed off his exuberant greetings and questions with an impatient sigh. But since it was unavoidable to say he would never have to deal with the American, he had become a part of Arthur's life whether accepted into it or not. And it was this American that seemed to take up the majority of his thoughts, of late.

As per usual, he was sitting in his seat waiting for class to begin when someone approached him. Not looking up from the iPod he had in his hands, Arthur waited for them to leave. He really didn't feel like dealing with their shit today.

To his surprise, the voice that spoke was one he knew. "Hey! I heard we were doing a project today, so—"

Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "You're not going to wait for me to say hello in return?" He turned his narrowed green eyes on the Obnoxious one.

He was favored with a bewildered look as a response. "Never mind," he said turning back to his iPod, "What do you want?"

The exuberance returned to the American's voice, and he continued with a grin. "Well like I said, since we have a big project assignment today, we could work on it together!"

Arthur thought a moment. _I'm probably going to end up with most of the work…_ Deciding it wasn't a good idea, he asked himself why the request was even in debate. "No." He answered bluntly. The smile of the other boy deflated. "Why not?"

Why not. The reply Arthur most wanted to give was something along the lines of 'because you're a blathering idiot and there is no way in hell I would consider working with you', but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say it. So he settled on something a bit nicer. "I don't know you. Ask your other friends, you have plenty of lapdogs to choose from." The teacher entered the room at that point, and Arthur watched the American kid walk slowly back to his seat.

As was predicted, the teacher's opening statement explained the project that was to be due two weeks from then. "I need you all to partner up, this is a big project, and no one will be able to get it done by themselves. I didn't have time to make a class list, so you'll have to choose partners yourself." A chorus of quiet triumph went off across the room. "Alright, be quiet. Raise your hands, and I'll note down the partners."

The teacher got through the majority the class, when the American kid raised his hand.

"Alfred? Who's your partner?"

So that was his name.

Alfred paused for a moment, then said "Arthur."

Looking back, Arthur was vaguely aware of the whole class swiveling their heads towards the two of them.

Angry and startled, Arthur stood up to protest his indignation. "What? No, I'm not working with him."

Alfred gave a pleading look. "Aw, c'mon Artie. I'm not that bad." A smile, then.

Before Arthur could sputter out 'that's not my name', the teacher cut them off. "There's not really many people left, so you two will have to work together." And with a pointed look at Arthur; "Try not to make _too_ much of an issue out of it."

He sat down with a huff. He would have to deal with this idiot for another two weeks, probably even go to his home at some point! Anger was shown plainly on his face, and the small blonde kid sitting near him scooted farther away. How on earth Arthur got himself into this situation, he didn't know.

A/N: I'm probably going

to continue this, but I can guarantee erratic posting.

Hope you guys liked!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This update came fairly

quickly. Please don't expect them to always be this

fast, like I said, erratic posting dates. I'll try to be

regular, but that never seems to work for me.

Atleast not too well.

If anyone wants to tell me what they think so far,

feel free! Reviews, or even a simple comment

is always appreciated!

After class, Arthur tried to escape the suffocation of the classroom as quickly as possible, but to no avail, due to the over-crowded hall. Had he ever mentioned how much he hated the hallways?

"Hey, Arthur wait up!" He cringed and kept walking. "Arthur, wait!" Alfred dashed up to him, grabbing his arm.

"Bloody hell, can't you see I'm trying to get to class?" He growled, pulling roughly away. "I don't need to be late again."

Alfred had an apologetic look on his face. "I was just going to ask when you wanted to get together and work on the project…"

"Trying to get a head start, are we?" Arthur sneered. "I never knew you were the type. Besides, I don't care when. It has to be done at some point, it's no use avoiding it."

"I'm not the one avoiding it." The sandy blonde replied. "What about this Wednesday…?"

Dammit. That was the one day Arthur didn't have anything planned. Sighing heavily, he resumed his apathetic façade. "Sure, whatever." Scribbling his address and phone number down on a piece of paper, he continued. "Four-o-clock. I put my number down, since you're bound to get lost. Goodbye." And with that, Arthur turned and left before Alfred could follow.

Annoying git.

Alfred sighed. Once again, his attempts to soften Arthur's personality didn't work. He didn't understand why the other boy was acting so cold towards him. What did Alfred ever do to earn his mistrust? He supposed it just came with Arthur's seemingly misanthropic nature. Aside from this point, however, Alfred was thrilled that he was going to visit in two days. He clutched the piece of paper in his hands, which were becoming damp with sweat. Why was he so nervous? All he did was exchange information for a simple visit, it wasn't even a date. They were working on a school project for God's sake! Even so, Alfred couldn't quell the excitement settled into the pit of his stomach for the rest of the day.

_It was getting far too warm. Pulling his shirt off, Arthur leaned in once more to plant a soft kiss on Alfred's lips. He smiled a bit when he realized that Arthur tasted like tea. How cute… The heat in the room was unbearable now, and Alfred relaxed into the pillows as his pants were slowly removed. He stared into the emerald eyes above him, admiring the way they seemed to go on forever. Arthur began to trail kisses down Alfred's neck, producing shivers and a slight moan. He loved how Arthur could do that—set him to shivering in heat like this. He felt as if he were in a haze, feeling skin and hands and warmth, but the only thing he saw clearly were those eyes. Not the hands trailing down his body, or the playful, almost possessive grin his lover was portraying. Only his eyes. Alfred sucked in a breath as Arthur's hands moved lower, and—_

He shot up straight in bed. The two blankets he had were lumped off to the side, and his shirt was sticking to his skin. Alfred bet that it wasn't really as warm as it felt. Getting up to open a window, he noticed the hard-on protruding from his boxers.

_Great._ He thought. _That's not embarrassing._

With a glass of water in hand, he returned to bed and pulled the blankets back over him. He was about to settle down into sleep, when he stopped and sat up. The internal debate lasted only a moment, and Alfred kicked one of the two blankets off his bed. His guess was that he wouldn't be needing it.

"Shut up, Ivan!" A collective gasp went around, and the conversation continued. Meanwhile, Arthur was residing in his usual seat in the back corner of the room, when he heard a thump of books next to him.

Would it be…?

"Hey, Arthur. It's Wednesday!" It would be. That happy voice, the one that had an annoying quality to it, that kept running through his brain, pissing him off.

"That it is, my dull friend." He quipped.

"See? I knew we'd be friends eventually!" Came the reply, which sounded not at all bothered at the prospect of being called dull. _Damn. I should have known better than to say that._ "I'm afraid you're mistaken. We aren't, and never will be friends. In fact, the general prospect of such bollocks sickens me." Alfred just gave a chuckle, and sat in the seat next to him.

Oh, joy.

By the time class was over, they had barely gotten anything done. Alfred didn't even have a subject idea.

"It has to be something from the 1700's on, so pick something." Arthur was beginning to get angry.

"Uhh… Oh! I've got it! How about the American Revolution?"

A sigh managed to escape Arthur's throat for the fourth time during the past hour. "Due to American's being pitifully egotistical, that war was far overrated."

"Why not? It's interesting. America, gaining freedom from the cruel oppression of Britain!" Alfred swept his hand across his face, as if an image of gory battle would manifest itself before them.

"It wasn't cruel oppression, it was taxes. Like you have now. Besides, no matter how significant the war was to you, it was just another loss to the empire. It hardly mattered."

Arthur was becoming increasingly bored.

"You're understating everything! It totally did matter." Alfred's face was the spitting image of a child being told to do something unfair.

In fact, this whole conversation was childish. "We aren't doing the American Revolution. Being partnered with you is bad enough, I'm not going to let you choose that as the subject as well." And begrudgingly; "I'll… see you later." The bell rang, and Arthur walked out.

Alfred looked at the piece of crinkled paper, then nervously rang the doorbell. He hoped this was the right house. It looked nice enough, and was in a pretty good neighborhood…

"Hey." Arthur mumbled, opening the door. He had a pencil in his mouth, trying to fix something on the door. "Please come in…"

Alfred crossed the threshold into Arthur's house. Nice indeed. The carpet was plush and soft, immaculately clean. The furniture looked as if it were all carved from the same tree, and a few ornate decorations were lying about.

"Hey!" Alfred replied, a bit late on the uptake. "Nice place."

"Thanks." Arthur walked down the hall, beckoning him to follow. He opened the last door on the right, and walked inside. "Let's get this over with."

Alfred couldn't help noticing that Arthur's disposition was slightly different than that he was used to. _It must just be how he acts at home,_ Alfred thought. He was the same, but the usual foreboding, annoyed air was gone. He was less on edge. His room was also surprisingly clean, mostly consisting of the colours olive green, and the occasional navy blue.

He watched as Arthur picked up a cup of tea from his desk, and sat down. Alfred spoke before he noticed Arthur was about to say something.

"Woah! You drink tea. I thought that was just my imagination." Oops. That hadn't meant to come out. Arthur was looking at him a bit like one would look at a grown adult picking their nose.

"…What?"

Alfred tried, and failed to cover up the slip. "What? Nothing."

Arthur shook his head, then spoke. "We should have started in on the project already, we need to pick a topic that we both agree on." A pause, then; "You _can_ sit down, you know."

"Oh, right." Alfred sat. "I'm guessing you'll want to wash the carpet after I leave?" He said with a smile.

The slightest hint of a smirk revealed itself on Arthur's face. "Perhaps. Now, about that topic. I was thinking we could do something like…"

His voice trailed off as Alfred's mind began to wander. _He's so… odd._ The dream from the previous night chose that moment to re-enter his brain. _Shut up, I don't need to be thinking of that right now!_

He was brought back to reality when Arthur spoke in a suspicious tone. "You're face is turning red… are you alright?"

Alfred gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, yeah… I'm fine."

The green eyes rolled. "Pay attention, I don't want to have to repeat this later because you weren't listening."

The conversation went on, and it was decided that they would do the American Revolution after all. Arthur seemed much opposed, but as it turned out, nearly everything else was taken. After the necessary materials were collected and brought back to Arthur's room, They began their project.

"Since there's a lot of work, I'm going to divide it up evenly so I don't end up doing it all… Hey." A hand was waved in front of Alfred's face. "You're not listening. You've been doing that this whole time, getting that spacey look. I knew you were dull, but I didn't know you were _that _stupid. Hey!"

Alfred looked up, and with an absent look on his face, replied. "Huh?"

The angry, ticked-off look was back. "Pay attention, we need to get this done! Why do you even keep drifting off anyways?" Arthur was sitting across from him, leaning slightly, with a bit of an impatient posture.

"Oh… I'm thinking…"

"Thinking what? The only thing you should be thinking of is this project. I don't understand why—" Alfred reached out suddenly, and tucked a strand of Arthur's messy blonde hair behind his ear.

Arthur's voice was cut off, a surprised look in place of the previous. "Wha… What…" Came the sputtered reply to his gesture.

"It's hard to see your eyes when your hair is always in your face." Alfred's expression was completely honest, with no trace of a joke about it.

Arthur became a bit red. "What in the bloody hell was that for?" The surprised look had just left his face. "We're working on a project, not— not…" He trailed off, speechless.

Alfred stood, just beginning to process his error. "I have to go, I'll do everything you need me to, don't worry, see you tomorrow…!" He frantically gathered his belongings, and with that, rushed out the door, leaving Arthur alone and more than confused on his bedroom floor.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you to everyone

who added this story to their

automatic updates and/or favorites!

I'll work hard to get the chapters updated quickly.

I seem to say something about that

each A/N….

Oh well.

Alfred slammed the door shut, provoking a shout from his mom. Mumbling a quick 'sorry' in passing, he rushed to his bedroom. It had taken him a long time to get home, nearly an hour, because he was distracted while driving. As predicted, he still got lost, even though it wasn't on the way there. His hurry to get to his room must have startled his mother, because she came knocking on the door a few minutes later.

"Al, honey, can I come in?" She said, her voice muffled through the door.

"Yeah, sure mom…" He replied in resignation. Pretending to be bust with something at his desk, he didn't look up when she came in.

"Is something wrong hun? You know you can tell me anything." She sat on his bed.

After a moment of silence; "No, nothings wrong." His smile was not at all convincing.

"I know when you're lying to me, Al. Now, you don't have to tell me what it is, but don't lie about it. I _would _like to know."

Alfred spun around in his chair with the same dopey, half convincing smile on his face.

"Just… just school stuff, mom." He guessed that was sort of true. "I need to work on a big project I have, my partner'll be mad if I don't finish my half for tonight." He turned back around to hide his reddening face. Even though he didn't mean partner like _that_, he still couldn't avoid thinking of it.

"…Alright. I'll see you at dinner, then." Alfred's mom was hesitant to leave, but leave she did.

"Yeah…" He said softly. His mom was just out of earshot.

Arthur took a drink of his tea, which was cold. He was in the same spot as he was left in, and had been for the duration of two hours. The look on his face was something akin to irritated confusion. As soon as Alfred had left, he had shaken his head to remove the piece of hair that had been tucked behind his ears. Arthur was convinced he could look no stupider than with that single chunk of hair out of its usual place. After about ten more minutes, he decided he was hungry.

Getting up, he found, proved to be a bit difficult, as his knees hurt from sitting in the same position so long. Wandering into the kitchen, he decided to completely forget the entire ordeal. He had thought about it too long already, anyways. After eating far less than he should have, he went to bed. He would do the project later.

Waking up early, as always, was excruciating. But Arthur managed to get some of the project done, then left for school. In the two classes leading up to History, he managed to complete the rest of the project. When he arrived in History class, he set his belongings down, then sat himself down as well. Before he got a chance to plug in his earphones, however, he was greeted by Alfred rushing through the door.

After catching his breath somewhat, Alfred explained himself. "I… I ran here, cause I wanted… to say sorry before too many people got here… about the other day." His panting dwindled as he waited for Arthur's reply.

It was one he didn't expect. "Why?" Arthur had decided he would ignore the incident, so ignore he did.

"For… y'know. The… the… hair thing." His look was slightly pained, and Arthur almost wanted to laugh.

"Oh, that? I had conveniently forgotten about that." Then sarcastically, "To my great delight, I now remember. How lovely." Arthur looked back down at his iPod. Today was going to be a long day.

When class began, they compiled their work. "I'm surprised you actually got it done." Arthur said. "I'll take this all home and put it together."

Alfred gave him a look of confusion. "Shouldn't we, like… put it on a poster-board or something?"

"No… it'll look better if I format it differently. We've made decent progress anyway, so we have some time to decide."

"Well, if we have nothing else to do here, I guess we have a free day!" Alfred grinned.

Arthur was going to roll his eyes when he realized that Alfred was actually right.

"Hm. I guess so." He took their work and put it in his back, then sat down, iPod in hand. Then, he was stopped.

"Hey, wait! I'm going to be bored if you're just doing that."

"What else am I going to do? It's hardly as if you can provide me with intelligent conversation." The look Arthur received in return was that of a puppy.

"C'mon! I don't want to be bored! I can be intelligent sometimes. Interesting, too. Once, I actually ended up-"

Arthur decided to humor the boy, and put down his iPod. The story droned on, and when the bell rang, Arthur found he had neither been listening, nor keeping track of time. A question jarred him abruptly out of his fog.

"So, when are we going to meet up to work on this again?"

Arthur hadn't thought of that, and decided to reply with an "I don't know." He stood. "I'll talk to you later about it. Don't worry about doing anything tonight. I've got it covered."

As he walked out of the classroom, he noticed that despite looking as if he were 'friends' with Alfred, people weren't any less intimidated by him.

Arthur didn't want to admit that that actually hurt a bit.

Alfred clutched his cell-phone in his hand, a number on the screen. _Just do it,_ he thought. He quickly pressed 'SEND'. Pressing the phone to his ear, the breath caught in his throat as he heard a 'hello?' on the other end of the line.

"Hi, Arthur?" His tone, much to his embarrassment, sounded a bit too hopeful.

There was a pause. "…Alfred?"

"Phew! Yeah, hi. I thought I dialed the wrong number for a minute." That was a lie. He would know that voice if he heard it through a fishbowl.

"You would. Why are you calling? There's nothing you would possibly need to know."

"Actually, there is. You want to meet me at the Starbucks on 5th?" Shit! Alfred didn't mean to say that. What was it about Arthur that made him lose control of his common decency? Not, he had to admit, that he had too much of that in the first place.

"What? Why?" The tone was defensive. Alfred could tell he was losing him.

"Just, there's a few things I want to clarify, and… and my phone is running out of minutes!" That was a lie too. He had an unlimited plan.

"Oh. Sure, I guess. When?"

Alfred thought, then replied with; "How about four-thirty?" That was in ten minutes. "It'd be easiest if I got the info sooner."

A tired sigh, then, "Alright, fine. See you there. Goodbye." The line went dead.

Another meeting with Alfred. Arthur could tell you, he was entirely displeased at the prospect. Yet, he was also a bit something else. He shook his head to clear the feeling. Pulling on his jacket, he walked out the door. He didn't bother to call his mum and tell her where he was going, since she wasn't even home. He got into his car and pulled out of the driveway.

Upon arrival, he noticed Alfred's dented car already in the parking-lot. He must live close.

Arthur walked inside, and Alfred waved him over. He already had a drink. Arthur sat down, for once looking at the face of the person across the table.

"What was it you wanted?"

Alfred mumbled a 'hold on' as he looked through something on a laptop he had brought with him.

Arthur gave a sigh. "I don't know why I bothered coming; I should have known it wouldn't be anything… important…" He trailed off, noticing Alfred's brow furrow at the screen. He was chewing absentmindedly on the straw in his drink, and making a curious face.

A chorus of curses went off in Arthur's brain, all directed at the sandy-haired boy with the bright blue eyes. Was he doing that on purpose? _Don't be ridiculous. Of course he isn't, how could he know whether or not… _Arthur stopped. Why the hell did he care anyways? He knew he wasn't gay, and he had only known Alfred personally for a few days. How did the boy managed to infuriate him beyond reason?

Finally, after a few terribly boring minutes dragged by, Alfred looked up and smiled.

An odd sensation spread itself through Arthur's body at the sight. What was he thinking? Was he going mad? Could he be falling for this obnoxious, immature, exasperating boy?

Of course not.

It must be the loads of caffeinated black tea and little-to-no sleep speaking.

"What am I here for?" He snapped.

"Oh, right…" A sheepish look was then expressed on Alfred's face. "Actually, I… don't really know."

Don't really know.

Something inside of Arthur snapped, most likely his patience, and he stood up angrily. "I'm leaving."

"Wha…? Wait…!" Alfred stood to chase after him, but he didn't notice.

When he got outside, he walked quickly to his car. Alfred was still following, shouting protests. Arthur was almost to his car when he stopped and whipped around, grabbing Alfred's shirt. The boy looked a bit frightened, but he could honestly care less. Still holding onto his shirt, he pressed his mouth to Alfred's.

Arthur had never been one to be too impulsive, although there was the occasional bit of spontaneity. This time however, was obviously a bit different. All his reservations seemed to disappear the longer he held the forceful kiss.

When he ran out of breath and realized people were beginning to stare, Arthur pulled away, shoving Alfred back. He supposed the other boy may be more than a bit horrified, but he didn't care. He had gotten what he wanted. He slammed the door of his car, and put the keys in the ignition.

Arthur would have just left Alfred be from that point on, but unfortunately, he always was one to get a bit possessive.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Back after my month long

hiatus. Hope the 'cliffhanger' wasn't

too anxiety-inducing! Not that I think

that much of my stories. I just get anxious

with stuff like that. I apologize for

the wait, and have two stories

to make up for it! Unfortunately, it's not

for this story, but it is a new one.

FrUK-ish instead. If that's

your cup of tea, check it out. It's

called 'Petty Problems of the Rich'.

_We're sinking friendships… Drowning more and more…_

_I'm singing a sad tune… Is this song to you?_

Arthur had to admit, he had a few guilty pleasures with music. The song he was listening to was by a band he liked, yet if others found out he liked it, they would probably think he was joking. That, or too soft.

He flipped over in bed, unable to find a cool spot on his pillow. Let's review the last few hours, shall we? Around eleven thirty, Arthur had decided to go to bed. There was nothing else he could do, and the trip to the coffee shop had exhausted him. After another hour, he realized he couldn't get to sleep. So he tossed and turned for a while, then deciding the matter was hopeless, fetched his iPod, and crawled back into bed.

And bed is where he still lay, listening to music all the way up to 1:30am. Arthur stared at the clock, knowing that it wouldn't go any faster than it already was. Still, he was blindly hopeful. As soon as it reached 3:28 however, he knew that he wasn't going to be getting to sleep. So instead, he did something unexpected.

He called Alfred.

Alfred's cell phone rang, the buzz becoming all the more obnoxious against the wood of his bedside table. He sat up with a groan. He was tired, who would be calling so damn late? He looked at the face of his phone.

It was Arthur.

Suddenly, Alfred was wide awake, fumbling around for his glasses. As soon as his hand touched the cold metal, he brought the glasses up, shoving them rather awkwardly onto his face. He picked up the phone, and clicked the little green 'call' button.

"Hello?" He said, and cursed himself for having such a hoarse voice. Alfred coughed.

"Uh… H'llo…" Came the muffled voice on the other end of the receiver.

"How come you called? I mean, not like I mind, but it's past three, and…" Alfred shook his head. "Never mind. What's up?"

There was a pause, and he held his breath. "I can't get to sleep, so I decided to call."

Alfred exhaled, and was about to say something, when Arthur beat him to it.

"You're right, it's late. I should go. I apologize." The line went dead.

Alfred took a moment, shocked, then began to panic. He double clicked the green button to redial, then held the phone to his ear.

As soon as he heard the click of Arthur picking up his phone, he began to speak.

"No, no! I was wrong!" He said, trying to keep from being too loud. "It isn't that late, let's talk for a while!" He hopefully waited for the answer.

Arthur sighed. "Alright, I suppose if you don't mind…"

A bit too quickly; "I don't mind!" He heard a muffled chuckle.

"I've been listening to music since twelve." Arthur said, a bit awkward. "I… just need to calm down…"

Alfred stopped. Calm down? From what? _Don't be stupid… _He thought. _It's not…_

But his mouth decided to ask despite his brain. "Why? Calm down from what?"

Arthur snorted. "Why do you think?" He hid the shakiness in his voice well. Sp well, in fact, that it went unnoticed on Alfred's part.

There was an awkward silence as both debated what was said.

"Well, goodbye."

"Bye!" The two stumbled over their words slightly, talking on top of each other.

Alfred smiled. So Arthur couldn't stop thinking of that kiss either.

Arthur woke up the next morning even more haggard than usual. He got to sleep around 4:20, and had set his alarm for the latest possible time. His efforts, however, provided him with only a meager hour and-a-half of sleep.

Needless to say, he felt horrible.

He trudged through the school day, dreading History. When he arrived, he threw his books down on the desk, creating a loud _thump_ and provoking stares from the rest of the class. A short black-haired boy with soft brown eyes made a slight face, then walked over.

"Arthur-san… are you alright?" The boy was so quiet and mild that Arthur felt his anger dissipating.

"…Yeah. I'm fine." He said, then added; "Thank you, Kiku." Finding himself able to remember the boy's name. He settled into his desk as Kiku traveled back to his.

The teacher sipped his coffee. Arthur couldn't concentrate on his book. That's odd; Alfred was usually here by now.

The teacher walked to the board, wrote a set of directions, then retired back to his desk. Lacking a task to complete, the disgruntled blonde sat, lamely staring at the board. Around thirty minutes into the period, Alfred rushed in, opening the door with a bang. A few people said hi, but other than that, no one bothered to look. Why was it that only the 'different' kids got singled out?

"Arthur! I'm so sorry!" He said, shoving his books to the floor and sitting to catch his breath. "I overslept, then my car wouldn't start, and—"

Arthur cut him off. "It's fine. As long as you have your papers…"

Alfred gave a sheepish smile, and the other boy had to look away. "Actually, about that… I couldn't get it done…"

Arthur glared. "You're going to have to do twice as much tonight, then."

Easily deflecting the bad vibes, Alfred continued on. "Yeah, I thought maybe we could go someplace to work on it again. We could get more done, and…" He kept talking as Arthur sat there, trying his best to keep up the glare. It worked, but just barely.

"Fine. We can go to the library, I suppose. I need to pick something up from there anyways."

Alfred beamed. "Sure!"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hallo c:

Chapter five. As you

probably know… well, anyways.

Drama/action warning.

Hope you like it.

It was currently after school, and Arthur stood outside the library, waiting for Alfred to arrive. The school library had a pitiful selection of books, so the two had agreed to meet at the town library. After a few more minutes, Arthur decided to call and see what was taking so long. He dialed the phone.

Alfred picked up on the third ring. "Hey Artie!" He said. Arthur grumbled into the receiver. "Don't call me that. Where are you?" He heard fumbling, a crash, then a distracted voice on the other end of the line. "I just dropped something… I'll be right there. Town library, right…?" After confirming the location, Arthur hung up.

"So where should we start?" Alfred said, sitting down at a library table. The library was spacious, so the two were able to have a full table to themselves. Or at least, that's what Alfred thought.

"Don't spread all your books out like that, someone else might want to use the table." Arthur put his bag down, leaning it up against the table leg.

"Why not?" Came the reply. "There's barely anyone here, and this place is huge!"

"Shh. We're in a library, not a machine shop. Just move your books."

Ignoring him, Alfred asked his question again. "Where should we start?"

Arthur didn't hesitate. "I'm going to go get that book I needed. You finish what you didn't last night."

Arthur walked to the non-fiction section, looked around, then looped back to the fiction books. Alfred probably thought he was getting books for the project, but he wasn't. He wanted to get the next book in a series he was reading. Wandering through the isles, he heard Alfred calling for him. Arthur cringed. What a bloody pain… He hadn't even gotten his book, and Alfred was already making noise. He walked back to the table.

"What?" He snapped, leaning with both hands on the table.

Alfred was unabashed; "This is confusing."

Sigh. "Would you like help, then?" He said, bitter.

Alfred thought for a moment, then said yes. "Even though I'm smart enough to figure it out, I'm just tired." He smiled.

"Of course someone like you would never admit to needing help. What are you confused about?"

Alfred pointed to a page in the book he had lying open in front of him. "This. I don't know what they mean by this."

Circling around to the other side of the table, Arthur leaned over and inspected the book. "It's simple. They're just explaining the difference between the causes of the war."

Alfred nodded. "And this?" As Arthur explained the paragraph, Alfred was concentrating on the closeness of his friend. Was he a friend? He supposed not. He wasn't sure what they were. All he knew at the moment was that he wanted the close proximity to continue on for as long as possible.

Not thinking, Alfred leaned into Arthur's shoulder. The other stopped talking, and looked over. "What are you doing." His face was completely straight, but the tops of his ears that were hidden under his shaggy hair were turning red.

Alfred found himself not knowing what to say. So, he settled for "Oh. Nothing."

Arthur waited for a moment, then asked; "So… do you understand now?" The blue-eyed boy nodded.

"Alright. I'm going to get that book." He walked off.

After a painstakingly long time, Alfred finished his papers. It seemed as if it had taken forever. "Alright! Finally!"

"How many bloody times have I told you to keep _quiet_ in this library." Arthur growled.

"Oh, loosen up. Y'know, you might look like a badass, but you're pretty uptight." Alfred's blue eyes sparkled as he laughed. Arthur's reply was unexpected.

"You think I look badass?" There was a hint of a smirk showing on his face.

Alfred found that he had lost his usual cocky attitude, and was only able to stutter out a small "I-I guess…" The other man tended to have that effect on him. His words were lost, along with his confidence, and he began to wonder why he had even said something so idiotic in the first place.

Arthur's face resumed its usual blank slate. "If you're done, we should go."

He began to stand and pack up, when he realized that Alfred was staring at him.

"What?" He said, with his usual stony glare.

"Are you sure we have to leave? I mean, there's nothing else to do at home. Why don't we go someplace?" Alfred smiled as if he had thought of a completely original idea.

"Where would we go? Besides, I'd rather not spend my day being harassed by the likes of you."

Puffing his cheeks pettishly, Alfred protested. "I'm not that bad." Then, after careful consideration; "You kissed me, so there has to be something you like about me."

If Arthur was ruffled, he didn't show it. Instead, he walked over and stared dead into the enthusiastic blonde's eyes.

"If you want to go somewhere, do it by yourself. I'm going home." He shouldered his bag, and turned to walk off. "If you go around spouting that nonsense about a kiss, I'm sure you'll be delighted to find many of your personal belongings destroyed."

Alfred smiled to himself. He could care far less about possessions.

Arthur knew he wouldn't hurt Alfred. No, of course not. But that didn't mean he would even think of hesitating to burn the stubborn kid's stuff. After all, it wouldn't do to have his little 'friend' unable to complete his half of the project. Although he was loath to admit it, he rather liked working with Alfred on the assignment. It meant that at the very least, Arthur could enjoy the few moments of weakness he seemed to provoke in the usually upbeat teen. It was almost cute. Actually, it was very cute. Arthur had seemed to begrudgingly admit a lot to himself these days. It was a bit frightening. Since when was he prone to being friendly to Alfred, on occasion? Well, no matter. It wasn't something he wanted to burden his mind with at the moment. Unfortunately, his brain thought otherwise, and Alfred stayed in his thoughts until the next morning.

The next morning, Arthur got up as usual. It was a Friday morning, so that meant there was the weekend to look forward to, and Arthur very much needed that weekend. Working on projects with Alfred all week had sapped him of energy, and he was looking forward to being able to sleep in. This Friday happened to be an assembly day, so there would be no History class as well.

The hours dragged by, and finally, the assembly ended. But as he was leaving, Alfred approached him at the door. Just his luck.

Before anything could be said, Arthur chose to speak. "Oh joy, what do you want with me now?"

Alfred put on a fake pout, and followed him out the door. "Since we didn't do anything yesterday, do you want to go somewhere today?"

"What makes you think I want to do anything with you, outside of schoolwork? Bloody hell, you're acting like a clingy girlfriend."

This apparently stung Alfred, and he replied with a condescending, albeit hurt tone.

"Like you've ever had one! I've seen you always sitting alone. You never talk to anyone."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who asked to be talked to. Waltzing up and trying to befriend me all of a sudden. What do you think you're going to achieve? After all, I'm just an antisocial delinquent child!" The last statement was laced with sarcasm, and hit the mark exactly where planned. Alfred was stunned. After jogging to catch up, he grabbed Arthur's shoulder and spun him around.

They were a far enough distance from the school to not cause a scene, but in the back of his mind, Arthur marveled at the fact that no one seemed to hear Alfred's shouting voice, which was quickly rising in pitch.

"You know why I talked to you? You want to know why I insisted on being your partner in this? It's because I've seen you so often, and never said anything. I love you! I'm fucking in love with you!"

Now it was Arthur's turn to be stunned. Yet, a part of him was suspicious as well, and this part won out. He gave Alfred the dirtiest look he could, and shoved him away.

"You better piss off right fucking now, before I lose my self control and break all the teeth out of your head."

Looking back on the situation, Arthur realized something.

That something was that maybe, just maybe, he was a bit too mistrusting after all.

A/N: Reviews?

It would be nice to know

If my theatrical brain was making

This far too dramatic.

Anything helps!


	6. Chapter 6

-A/N:-

Good _Lord_ that took ages.

I am so sorry for the delay,

Although I don't expect you to believe

Me, what with all my inconsistency

And such. I hope you all enjoy

This chapter, extra long

Just for you!

(Let me know if it gets too cheesy.)

"Honey?" Alfred's mom called through the door. He ignored her, hoping she would go away. Honey? You've been in there since you got home, is everything alright?"

No, everything was not alright. Alfred was glad when she finally left, grateful for the absence of her increasingly-worried voice. That worry only poured salt in his open wound.

He reprimanded himself. What did he expect Arthur to say to his confession? 'I love you too stay with me 'till the end of time and oh yeah, let's make out'? Hardly. Alfred kicked the too-small rubbish bin next to his desk, the contents pouring out. He had managed to not embarrass himself in front of Arthur, simply flipping him the bird and stalking off, but as soon as he got home, the angry tears began to fall. This, naturally, just served to make him angrier. Why the hell was he crying, anyway?

Alfred hated this. He should be more pissed than upset, but the fact of the matter remained; he just wasn't. In fact, he was more sickened and hurt than he ever had been, and all for a petty _crush_. It shouldn't be this big of a deal. This was totally unlike the Alfred he was used to, the one who had turned down so many people coming to him with shy confessions and red faces. Although he had to admit, begrudgingly, that it wasn't simply a crush any longer. It had progressed to far more than that.

_Fuck it._ Alfred thought. All this thinking was doing nothing for him, and just made him want to curl up and sleep (not that he hadn't wanted to before). Curling up on his bed, he hoped against hope that he wouldn't have any dreams about the blonde haired boy that vexed him so. Luckily for him, sleep came quickly.

Arthur sat at his desk, brooding. His face was dark, and it was taking a tremendous amount of self control to keep himself from smashing every possession in the vicinity. Who the hell did that Alfred think he was, anyway? No one but him would even think of approaching the 'apathetic dark kid' in the back of the class. _Maybe you're just afraid he'll screw you over. _The voice in the back of his head whispered derisively. With an angry reprimand to himself, Arthur picked up the mug of tea next to him.

"Shite—!" He snatched his arm back reflexively, upsetting the tea onto his desk. The mug was far too hot.

Mopping up the spill, Arthur tried once more that day to quiet the little voice, but to no avail. _You're just scared to get close to anyone._

In a brief moment of insanity, he snapped. "You know full well that getting close to anyone is a hopeless cause!" Realizing how odd it was to be responding to himself, he quieted, one last mutter escaping his mouth. "He'll just betray you like everyone else…"

In his mind, Arthur knew that his thoughts were pathetically cliché. Someone else had to be thinking of relationships and betrayal every day, in one part of the world or another. His life was no motion picture, no shotty film thrown together by a mediocre American director. He had no right to be pitiful over the many people who had forsaken his trust. After all, what could he do about his own wary nature?

Despite feeling as he did about Alfred, he couldn't help but be guilty in the far-back depths of his mind. That, combined with the lovely little voice that told him he could have been nicer, did very little to ease his guilt.

As much as Arthur hated it, as much as he wanted to forever be rid of the impetuous and annoying individual, the part of him that needed someone to rely on won out. As miserably tiresome as Alfred was, Arthur knew he had to fix this.

The doorbell rang. Alfred's mother had mentioned something about a package that was to arrive today, rudely waking him up on her way out the door. Having gone to the store, she wouldn't be back for some time. Trudging to the door where he was expecting the postman, Alfred was rather surprised to find Arthur standing there instead.

He was far too shocked and angry to react the way he would have liked, which of course was slamming the door in Arthur's face, so instead he stood there, mouth agape.

"Hello" Came the only half-forced greeting. The boy on the porch had his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped forward. He wasn't raising his head, giving him the overall appearance akin to that of an admonished pet.

It was plain to see that Arthur didn't much want to be there. Alfred, noting the others' furrowed brow and tight lipped mouth, chose to break the silence.

"What are you doing here?" Alfred was surprised to find his voice had remained steady, and his face, wary.

"May I please come in?" Silence.

"Why?"

Arthur looked up, his face a mixture of anger, pain and embarrassment. "Look, just let me in alright?"

Alfred sighed. "Fine." He stepped back to allow the other inside. "How did you find my house?"

Arthur snorted, and gave a grim smile. "It wasn't particularly challenging, what with you going on about 'the house across from 94th St. Market' yesterday."

The bespectacled boy's countenance slipped, surprise showing through the caution. Regaining a bit of composure, Alfred spoke. "You remember that?"

A nod.

"…Creepy."

"Oh, shut up." Arthur snarled. There was a silent moment, then after a time, Alfred restated his question somberly.

"Why are you here, Arthur?"

"I… I came to say that I'm sorry. And, before you say anything, I realize the way I acted today was childish at best." Arthur rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you could say I'm not the most trusting person…"

Alfred barked out a cruel laugh. "That's an understatement." Then, his face serious; "I was never anything but nice to you, you can't just go around getting pissed at whoever you want."

The other boy sighed, slightly annoyed. "Let's just forget about this, yeah?"

He received a cold look in response. "Why should I?"

"I apologized, alright? What more do you want me to do?" Arthur's voice was growing more heated.

"I don't know, man. An apology doesn't really fly with me right now."

When he next spoke, Arthur's voice was a bit softer, as was his face. "Then… How about this?" Hands still in his pockets, he leaned in and kissed Alfred softly on the lips. The kiss was far more gentle than the first one they had shared, and despite his anger, Alfred found himself kissing back.

When Arthur pulled away, he studied the emerald eyes before him, searching for any sign of degradation. All Alfred found was sincerity, and possibly a touch of worry.

"Yeah… That'll do."

When Alfred accepted his apology, Arthur couldn't help but smile a bit. The next question, however, caught him off guard.

"So… was that just an apology, or were you accepting my statement from earlier?"

There was a smirk plastered on Alfred's face, and it took Arthur a moment to register what he meant. _He's talking about the confession, isn't he?_

He gave a shrug. "Both, I guess."

The smirk grew wider. "Good." Alfred gestured innocently. "After all, I figured you'd come around."

Arthur feigned surprise. "Oh, did you now? Your ego certainly comes back quickly… Although, I suppose you were right." He could no longer deny the obvious attraction ever since that day at the coffee shop.

When Alfred casually flopped down onto the corner sofa, a thought occurred to the one still standing. "Hey, Alfred…? Where's your mum?"

The one sitting laughed at the look of worry that was probably on Arthur's face.

"Don't worry dude, she's gone. Won't be back until later."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh. Alright then."

"Sit down if you want to." Alfred had put his attention towards finding the remote. Glad to be free of standing awkwardly in the middle of the drawing room, Arthur took a seat.

After what seemed like a great deal of time had passed, Alfred succeeded in finding the remote, and turned the channel to a movie. What movie it was, neither knew. They watched for a bit, before Arthur could no longer resist commenting.

"This movie is terrible."

Alfred laughed. "It's not that bad. Although, it's a bit sappy."

The two watched a bit longer, then, Arthur spoke once more. "Uh, Alfred."

"Hmm?"

"How long have you… you know, fancied me?" He asked rather awkwardly, trying to keep his face from growing hot.

Alfred looked over, attention no longer on the screen, and answered. "I don't know. A long time I think, but I only realized a while ago." The answer was vague, but sincere and honest. "Why?"

Arthur looked away. "I was curious…"

"Your ears are red!" Alfred grinned.

"Oh, hush up. There's no need to point that out."

"I can't help it, I just like looking at you." Once again, Alfred's tone had changed from teasing, to disarmingly honest.

Arthur's eyebrows raised, but other than that, he gave no reaction. Head still turned away, he asked; "Why is that?"

The other shrugged. "Just do."

At last, Arthur looked back over. An odd feeling, one he couldn't quite explain, crept up on him. He supposed it would be similar to possession, although it was much more giving than that. A purer form, which spawned not from jealousy, but from desire to stay with the object of affection eternally. The feeling was not one Arthur had experienced before, but he could tell it was rather significant.

"Al, turn off the telly."

Alfred had to keep from laughing. "What did you just call it…?"

Arthur gave an exasperated look. "Don't be ridiculous. Turn it off."

"Why do you want it off?"

Grabbing the remote, he muttered; "More efficient to get the job done myself…"

"Hey!" Alfred protested. "I was watching that!"

"You said yourself it was sappy." Arthur said. He scooted closer to the other boy, pulling him into a hug as he lay down. Alfred wriggled around, trying to get more comfortable. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" The green eyed boy's voice was slightly muffled.

Alfred twisted his head around to look him in the eye. "I didn't take you for one that likes to cuddle." The smile was once more on his face, as it always was.

Arthur loved that smile.

"When are we next going to work on the project? We should probably get it done." The blue eyes staring into his own were inquisitive.

"I don't care about the project right now."

Alfred gasped mockingly. "You? Don't care about the project? I would almost call that a crime."

"Hmm… I suppose I just care about you more." Came Arthur's reply. "Now lie still, or you're going to fall off the sofa."

"That's not going to happen."

"It will if I push you."

Alfred laughed. "Why would you push me?"

"To prove you wrong." Arthur smirked. He rather liked playful banter, and the smile of the boy in his arms was infectious.

"That's pointless."

"Hardly." He said with a shove, sending Alfred sprawling onto the floor. Managing to grab Arthur's shirt before he fell, Alfred pulled him down with.

The two landed in a heap on the floor. Alfred was cackling madly, while Arthur tried to right himself.

"Dude, that look on your face…!" The other said.

"What look?" He looked to be annoyed, but the ridiculous situation made it impossible not to laugh a bit.

The two sat for a moment, in thought as well as an awkward position. Alfred was lying on the floor parallel to the couch, which wasn't horrible. Not in the least. _The addition of myself, however, is a bit more odd. _He thought. This was because he was on top of Alfred, albeit slightly askew. Realizing that the position was probably not just uncomfortable for him, but for the blue eyed boy staring up at him from the floor as well.

"I'm sorry, I must be hurting you like this…" He began to get up, when Alfred grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the floor.

"You're not. Stay here."

The intense look that he was receiving wasn't disconcerting as Arthur would have guessed it would be, but rather alluring instead.

He tried to look anywhere he could, to take in the sight of Alfred. It was unbelievable that just a short while ago, they were furious with each other. He wanted to preserve this image forever in his mind, but he kept coming back to Alfred's eyes. Those deep blue eyes were mesmerizing, and he couldn't stop staring. Before he realized it, they were kissing again. No matter how many times it happened, Arthur couldn't get enough. It was as if the apathy and dislike he felt towards everyone else had disappeared. The only thing left right at this moment was Alfred. He couldn't have it any other way.

As they grew more heated, the feeling of 'possession' he felt before skyrocketed, combining with a passion he didn't know he had. This was no platonic love. Honestly, Arthur was surprised. Apparently he didn't know himself as well as he thought. Or maybe it was just Alfred. He had to admit, the kid had a knack for bringing out the best in people. More often the angriest, but occasionally he had his moments.

Arthur let out a chuckle at the thought, and Alfred pulled away momentarily to smile. "You seem to be a bit happier than usual." He said, pushing his glasses up.

The only response he could offer was a smirk. Not ready to let go of his usual disposition quite yet, he decided to reply with; "I wouldn't get used to it. You still bother me more than anyone in class."

"I promise to try harder then." Alfred proclaimed, sitting up half way. "You have to pull your weight too, though. You don't want me running off with Ivan, do you?"

Arthur snorted. "He's your first choice?"

The other boy flashed a smile. "No, you are. Duh. But if I had to choose, after you drive me away with your cold personality, I would run to Ivan."

The comment, though offhand, inspired a sudden angry feeling. Arthur's expression turned into that of jealousy. "That's not happening. You're not leaving, now that this has happened." He brushed a bit of hair that had gone astray out of Alfred's face. "And I promise, if Ivan even thinks of approaching you, I'll personally execute him." A joking half-smile, now.

"I feel bad for him, then. I am pretty irresistible."

Still staring into his partner's eyes, Arthur leaned in. "That you are." His hands were roaming over the person under him.

"Love yooouu." Alfred sing-songed sweetly, instinctively pressing towards him.

Chuckling, Arthur's hands were about to invade the other's shirt when he heard a noise at the door.

"Was that…?"

"My mom."

Both turned their heads to the door. Arthur got up faster than he believed humanly possible, and Alfred fixed his tousled hair. The door opened.

"And that's all we need to do for the project?" Alfred said.

Arthur nodded curtly.

With a smile, Alfred turned towards his mom. "Hey, mom! We were just finishing up."

Arthur barely concealed the laugh that almost escaped from his throat.

"Arthur was just going home."

Alfred's mom looked at the two for a moment, then spoke. "Would you… like to stay for dinner, Arthur?"

He shook his head. "No thank you, I should probably be off now… I apologize."

She gave a sad smile. "Alright… Well, it's a pity you can't stay."

Arthur nodded his head, and ducked out the door.

A pity indeed.


End file.
